The State of the Nation report by Sandra Wallace

One of the outputs being worked on by the Commissioners is an employer toolkit, as employers often ask how they can improve their efforts and, make clear that, practical guidance would really assist.

As a new commissioner at the Social Mobility Commission I was delighted to be part of the launch of its State of the Nation Report at the end of last month. Whilst there was widespread media coverage, about the lack of progress on social mobility the report makes a number of recommendations for employers to help improve social mobility. The State of the Nation report calls on employers to provide more training opportunities for those with lower skills, so that they can seek out higher paid roles. Often training budgets are concentrated on the most skilled. Also they should examine their recruitment practices to ensure they do not demand technical and academic qualifications which are unnecessary for advertised roles and finally to help those, who are more likely to suffer disadvantage, benefit from apprenticeships.

One of the outputs being worked on by the Commissioners is an employer toolkit, as employers often ask how they can improve their efforts and, make clear that, practical guidance would really assist. The legal profession I know is aware of its obligation to play its part in making sure we can do everything possible to help those from disadvantaged backgrounds get equal opportunities. The Commissioners hope the State of the Nation report, will give them further insight into the issues and how they can help.